Garland
by Fyras14
Summary: It all starts with death...life ends and a new one begins...but what happens when that new life cannot live in a world not his own? Life and death both exists in those of light and in those of darkness, but now, he is neither. AU.
1. Chapter 1

_You lift my spirit, take me higher, make me fly,  
>Touch the moon up in the sky, when you are mine<br>You lift me higher, take my spirit, make it fly,  
>Where all new wonders will appear…<em>

**-Poets of the Fall, **_**Lift**_

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><p><em><em>**-Prologue-**

**A Wish of Death**

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><p>It was getting harder to breath…he knew, he felt it. Death was imminent. No matter how much he crawled through the aching sands, no matter how much he bandaged the wound, death was looming above him. It wanted him gone…as those others that had dared come to the desert to seek their deaths…<p>

It wasn't fair…wishing to die was not what he wanted…but fate was merciless, and if his fate was to die in the sands, so be it, but he wouldn't go down so easily. He couldn't. He had to stay alive for just…for just…a moment…he…he had to live! But he felt his muscles grow heavy, his eyes closing slowly, and his strength ebbing away….but…no…he just couldn't.

"Jus-just…let me…live...I…I can't…d-die…yet," he whispered to the desert winds, which could care less about his coming death. "…no…I…I….I…want…to live…" But he couldn't live on…his breathing slowed down…his hands and feet stopped listening…and his eyes…his blue eyes began to close. He barely managed to stretch his arm for just a moment, wanting to reach the fading sun…but it only lasted a second before his arm fell down and his breathing ceased….his blue eyes forever hidden from the sun and moon, as death took him away.


	2. Chapter 2

_To himself everyone is immortal; he may know that he is going to die, but he can never know that he is dead. _

**-Samuel Butler**

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><p><strong>-Chapter One-<strong>

**A Toast to the Queen**

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><p>"All hail the Queen of Hyrule!"<p>

"ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!"

"Hear, hear!"

"HA!"

"For the queen of Hyrule we shall drink and laugh to our heart's content, my men! For tomorrow our mission to protect Hyrule begins! Now, drink all that you can because it will be the last drop of ale you shall drink for the next coming months!"

"Aye! Sir!"

"Tomorrow begins our journey to the desert...a new age for Hyrule has begun!"

"AYE! For the Queen!"

"For her, indeed!"

"AYE!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The young man didn't know what to think as he saw the bodies scattered across the desert…blood everywhere, death everywhere. He didn't know what to think. Had these men really been the joyous folk he had encountered in the bar? Drinking for the new age of peace of Hyrule…?

A sigh escaped his lips as he directed his gaze to the group of soldiers behind him. They had arrived early in the morning to the desert people's message: The elite guard of the Queen had never arrived.

…_because they were all dead…_he thought, shaking his head sadly at the turn of events. This wasn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to die…it was a simple scouting mission…to inform the people of the desert that the war had come to an end… and that the evil King had been slain.

"…I cannot believe this…" came one of the armored soldiers from behind the youth. "…all these men were considered one of the bests…what could have possibly happen here, Master Link?"

The young man, Link, could only look at the bloody battlefield and shake his head. "…I don't know," he told the soldier, before he walked towards the fallen men.

Swords and arrows and a few broken shields told of the soldiers' failed attempt at defending themselves against that which once lurked in the desert. From the looks of things, whatever had attacked them was more than they could handle…that, or it took them by surprise. He turned back to the group of knights behind him.

"Look for survivors…"

There has to be someone alive through all this death. There has to.

And so, the group of knights and the young man went on their task to find a life, or at least someone clinging to it, still strong and willing to keep on living. It was a horrendous task, to say the least, seeing as they saw more carnage than some was willing to take. Even Link could admit to feeling nauseous once or twice, while looking for a survivor or someone that could still draw a breath, if only for a moment. _It will certainly be something to hope for…_he thought, as he gently closed the eyes of a soldier lying in blood and mud, his sword not even out of its scabbard.

They surely had been taken by surprise. Link had seen these men fight. They were not slouches; they did not make beginner's mistakes. He had seen them fight with him against the evil King's monster army. They couldn't have gone down easily without a fight. Most of these men didn't even have their weapons at hand, and those that did had lost them in the struggle…along with most of their arms, as Link had taken notice once or twice. He tried to guide his eyes to a safer target…there in the distance.

Link blinked.

He could barely make out a soldier hidden on the sand. Link quickly got up from the pile of blood and death and went towards the soldier, wishing that at least these one had survived the carnage.

The young man found the soldier quickly, gently moving him to his side to shake on him. He was young, maybe a few years younger than Link himself, with light blue armor that seemed to contrast with the other soldiers who wore a tint of green or red. His sword was still in its sheath when Link turned him around. The injury had been deep, but apparently this soldier had been quick enough to move out of the battlefield. To warn someone, to cry for help…to survive. But Link could not feel a pulse, nor could he feel a heartbeat. The soldier was dead and gone, and all that remained was the unhappy reminder of that death.

Link gently stood up, murmuring an apology to the fallen soldier, before he turned around and went towards the other—a cough.

The young man quickly turned around, noticing how the color of the fallen soldier had returned as if by magic and how that cough had turned into a coughing fit. Link quickly turned to aid the soldier, calling out, "MEDIC! Over here!" Seconds later another soldier, this one wearing a lighter shade of green armor and wearing a small pack behind him, kneeled next to the fallen soldier.

"He's barely holding unto life, sir," the soldier replied, as he checked the soldier truly and called a couple of more to aid him. "I will see to his health immediately, but Captain Noel wishes to speak to you…" Link glanced back at the young man on the ground, before quickly going towards a group of knights nearby, hoping and wishing that the young man would live.

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><p>The darkness was too much, the stranger noticed, but he didn't care. He was safe, calm and…and at peace? He couldn't really tell whether this 'peace' was a good thing. He felt empty…maybe even sad, a little angry. It was hard to tell. The stranger could only look around in the darkness and find nothing that made sense about these feelings.<p>

…_I…want…to…live…_

The stranger looked around, wondering who was talking to him. Wondering who was coming to join him in this dark world.

…_Let…let…me…live…_

More voices, louder now, too loud to avoid. The stranger began to shake and hold unto his head in pain; the words were familiar…the pain was the same.

…_I can't die yet…_

…_**but you did…**_

"WHO ARE YOU!" came the stranger's booming voice, clutching his head in pain.

_**USELESS! YOU ARE USELESS!**_

"…no…no…NO!"

_**If you're actually her protector, then why do you die so easily! **_

"I CAN'T DIE! NO! NO! NO!"

_Be careful, Garland! Don't go dying on me! _

_**NICE KNOWING YOU, NOAH! **_

And then, the stranger screamed.

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><p>"…what is this?"<p>

"A message, Master Link…a message of revolution…"

"More like blood bath if you ask me!"

"Private!"

"Calm down…what does it mean, Captain?"

"…as if this atrocity couldn't be enough of a message…"

"…Private…"

"Okay, okay…I'll shut up now..."

"As I was telling you, Master Link, this message is from one who's thirst for battle is only quenched with war…he was quite the trouble during our King's reign before the evil one came to be…he calls himself the 'Rebellious Prince'…"

"The 'Rebellious Prince'?"

"Quite the imaginative name for the scoundrel, huh?"

"…"

"…I see. And does the pr—I mean, Queen, know of him?"

"…Yes…but I believed that she didn't consider him dangerous during the evil King's reign…perhaps…compared to _him_, that scoundrel was nothing."

"…Get your men ready. We are living for Hyrule as soon as they patch that young man…stay on your toes."

"We will Master Link."

"Yeah! We'll kill anyone that gets in our—"

"PRIVATE!"

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><p>The voice…the voice was still there, mocking him. Telling him things he could not decipher…and he could do nothing but scream. Begging for that voice to go away…<p>

"SHUT UP!"

_**Why? You think you can protect her, you pathet—**_

"SHUT UP! PLEASE! LET ME BE!"

…_let me live…I…I can't die yet…_

_**BUT YOU'RE ALREADY DEAD, FRIEND! **_

"NO! NO! I AM NOT!"

…_somebody…help me…_

_**She deserves someone better not you, punk! **_

…_we're under attack! TAKE CO—_

—_**DIE! **_

"_You really want to die?" _

Silence…the voices stopped. The stranger was safe…the world of darkness was…calm. He was safe. The voices were gone and he was going to be alright.

"…_I don't think so…" _

"Huh?" Was that another voice? Was that voice talking to him and not torturing him with awful words and memories?

It didn't take long to find the source of the voice, for the world of darkness seemed to glow, surprising the stranger before an armored figure appeared before him. Light slid from the armored stranger's armor as the stranger of the darkness stood there, watching in awe. Silence roamed for minutes, maybe hours, before the armored stranger spoke in that gentle, calming voice.

"_Tell me…do you wish to live?" _

"Live?" the stranger whispered, as if the word was something new to him. "Why? I'm alive…aren't I?"

"…_you tell me. Are you dead? Or are you alive?" _

"…I…I'm…" But the stranger couldn't go on. He didn't know what to say. Was he dead or alive? What could he tell this armored stranger? That he was alive and be done with it?

"_Do you wish to live?"_

"Do you not?" The question was out of his mouth before he could stop himself. It seemed...right to ask.

"_Hmm," _the armored stranger began, sighing. _"It's easy to die, my friend…I'm already dead…although I wish I could live, I can't."_

"…you…you're dead?"

"_Yes," _the armored stranger's voice was sad, the other one noticed. This stranger had not wanted to die just yet. But he did. _"I'm dead and that fact I can't change…but, are you?" _

"Dead?"

No, he couldn't be. Sure, he didn't know where he was, but that didn't mean that he was…dead. But, what if he was? What if he was already dead, like this other stranger? No. That couldn't be right! He was alive, even in the darkness, he was alive! _But the darkness feels wrong, _he thought, looking around. _I shouldn't be here…not in this darkness. _No…he really shouldn't be here.

…_**but you are. **_

_**Nice knowing you, Noah! Hope you enjoy the afterlife! HAHAHA! **_

His throat felt dry, his eyes wet, and his spirit broken. He grabbed his head, clenched his fists. He wasn't…he couldn't be…he…he wasn't! THIS WAS WRONG! HE SHOULDN'T BE HERE!

"I'm not dead! I'm not dead!" the stranger cried, as the armored one watched on. "I'm not dead! I can't be! I can't be!" He raised his head in realization, looking at the armored stranger with contempt. "YOU KNEW!"

"…_I knew, but I still ask: do you wish to live?" _

"Why would you let me live! Ain't I already dead!" cried the stranger again, as the memories came to him. He remembered his life as clear as day, the castle, the princess, the twilight, his friends and family…his death at the hands of an ally. He remembered his name…Noah…but what did a name and memories matter if he was already dead?

"…_you are," _the armored stranger said, unflinching, before extending his hand towards him. _"Do you wish to live?" _

Did he?

Was he ready to live after dying?

What if it was a trick of the mind?

What if he really wasn't dead?

Maybe…maybe it was a dream. A dream…and it all would end with—

—Noah grabbed the stranger's hand, and before he knew it, everything was engulfed with light….and then, he was gone.

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><p>Funeral arrangements had been a rather eventful task since yesterday and most were finally glad to be finished. The same could not be said for the widows, parents, siblings or friends that the group of soldiers had left behind. They were suffering, angry and wanted answers…but they knew they were asking too much of the recently crowned Queen. Their anger couldn't bring back the dead…nor could their suffering. It was the cycle of things; the dead were just memories, and it made things worse.<p>

Link, for his part, watched the proceedings from afar with a tall, white haired woman in armor next to him. "They were good men," the woman said, bowing her head. "No one was supposed to die."

"No one should have," Link told her, nodding. He thought back at the only survivor of the attack, who was still recovering. That young man was the only one that knew what had happened. "You plan on asking that soldier about the attack?"

"No." The woman looked back at him, a grim expression in her face. "The Queen does not wish more stress on the boy…but, the same cannot be said about General Groose." Link shook his head. "He's controlling himself, mind you…mostly out of respect for the boy's friends that are taking care of him and also for the Queen…"

"He's just concern…you know how he gets," the young man said, glancing at the small group of people dressed in black; another funeral was about to begin. "The fact that a group of…_mercenaries_…took out an elite squadron is cause of great worry."

"Indeed," the woman noticed, nodding her head. "But these people should have known better…they left their mark…and they will continue to do so until the Queen yields…"

"…But she can't, not after what happen."

"But they won't care. They believe they are doing the world a good if they get rid of the monarchy…they will spill blood if necessary. To them, the people lead only themselves."

"And they want to cause…another war," Link whispered, clenching his fists.

"People are strange creatures, Link," the woman said, watching the funeral that was about to begin. "It is easy to blame others than to admit fault. Easier to complain than to care. And easier to die than to live." She looked back at Link, her red eyes facing his own blue ones. "For them, another war is easier than the monarchy in power…they do not see the bloodshed they will cause, they do not care who weeps and who dies, only that the Queen no longer remains in her throne."

"…It's gonna start again...isn't it?"

"...what?"

"...the war..."

"It depends...only fools beg for bloodshed," the woman began looking at a group of weeping women nearby. "they ask for war and pain...and they get it. This men will get what is coming to them because they do not care. Fools do not care about the consequences until it is already too late. And if this goes too far...it would end in war."

And they both stood there, silent as a light rain soaked them all.

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><p>Fyras14: New year, new project...need inspiration...sigh.<p>

Anyway, this idea has been floating in my head for almost two years and well, I finally got the inspiration to write it down...

...I began to have this ideas after writing Mocking Suitors (which I will try to finish some time in the future!) and decided to use my OCs for another story.

A fair warning...this story will be OC driven, but Link and Zelda will appear and Midna as well!

I will try to get a few chapters in before the new year, but I can't promis anything.

Enjoy!

EDIT: 1/2/12 Added what was part of the last chapter! The third chapter will be deleted for obvious reasons.

Updates for this story will be either montly or at random depending on my mood...sorry guys, I'm using a new computer for this project and all my other projects, except my Smash Bros. Fic, will not be updated in a while...at least until my other computer is fixed...for good, this time.


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